If You Go Down To The Woods Today
by giacinta
Summary: Dean and Sam are working off some excess energy when they receive a strange visit. One shot.


If You Go Down To The Woods Today...

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The two men sparred in the little hollow, their moves agile and skillful, honed through long practice since they were children, and now so attuned to each other that it seemed neither could push his opponent to the ground.

The taller had more reach, his long arms and legs allowing him to evade the lashing blows thrown at him by the shorter but more powerfully built of the two.

They had been at it for hours, sweat dripping off them in droves but the sheer physicality of the exercise kept their minds from dwelling on the problems they faced daily and giving them a respite from their world of monsters, horror and death.

There was a savage elegant beauty to their fighting although none of the two were intent on hurting the other for they were brothers, brothers who shared an outstanding bond, and beating each other to pulp was not in their agenda, but working off their excess energy certainly was!

Dean finally held up a hand to ward off his brother's punch,. "Enough Sammy," he panted. "I'm done!"

He let himself sink down full-length onto the mossy ground, completely exhausted, as Sam swayed over him like an oak tree about to fall.

"Thought you'd never call 'out'," he gasped in turn, his hair plastered to his face and scalp in a wet mess as he surrendered himself to the pull of gravity and pitched himself down next to his brother.

They lay there in companionable silence, chests heaving but with their minds clear at least for the moment.

X

"Dean." Sam puffed when he had recovered his breath a little

"Yeah?"

He pulled himself up on one elbow. "Why don't we take some time off? Forget about hunting for a few days. Pretend we're like the majority of people out there who know nothing about monsters and such. Just be two normal guys hanging out together?"

Dean, who had been studying the clouds scudding across the darkening sky, mirrored his brother's action and pulled himself up on an elbow to face him.

X

X

Watching them together it would have been difficult for a stranger to see any resemblance marking them as brothers, for the elder had taken after his mother's side of the family; the fine features bordering on pretty, with the spun-gold hair he had as a child darkening into adulthood.

The younger had favoured their father's side, moss-green wide-set eyes and chestnut hair a legacy of his paternal grandmother but the deep dimples came unmistakable from their father John.

Both brothers were very handsome men and no woman could have ignored their passing without giving them an admiring glance, but there was very little likelihood that either would settle to a normal family life, their existence was just too complicated.

It's not that they hadn't tried, Sam with Jess and Dean with his young love Cassie and then with Lisa and her son, but bad things seem to happen to anyone who tried to get close to these special men and unless things changed drastically it would be forever only them.

X

X

"You'll get no gripes from me, Sammy. I could do with some _me_ time," Dean replied. "And knowing how your freaky brain works, you'll already have prepared a list of places to go. "

He wagged an admonishing finger "I'm game for anything, man, except the beach or anywhere that gets me in shorts, 'cos I just don't do them!"

Sam rolled his eyes.

"I don't get what your problem is with shorts, Dean, or with the beach. Sea, sand and hot busty girls in skimpy bikinis That should be right up your street!" he teased his brother.

"Yeah, well. I'm a jeans and flannel man, so no beach. How about Las Vegas? Plenty girls there," he smirked raising his eyebrows lasciviously.

"No way, Dean! I meant a couple of relaxing days. Maybe take in a museum or two," Sam countered.

"A museum. Dude! Do you want to bore me to death, or somethin'?" Dean answered, disgust stamped all over his face. "Come on, let's get back to the motel and I'll look up some good-time places to go. I know a sweet little massage place with lots of 'accommodating' girls. Not too expensive either," Dean smirked.

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed prissily. "I already told you once that I don't pay for sex."

"Well there's always a first time, Sammy," he grinned.

X

A dripping wet tee-shirt hit him in the face as Sam stripped it off in favour of a dry shirt, effectively shutting up his annoying brother.

But Dean was already preparing to retaliate with an equally sopping piece of clothing, when the Being who had been watching with interest and biding his time until the two men had worn themselves out, stepped out of the undergrowth.

It appeared directly in Dean's range of vision and he halted surprised, in mid-throw, the tee clasped over his head like a javelin.

X

"Kid," Dean joked when he saw that the intruder was only a young child, "You shouldn't walk between two bros who are about to have a wet tee-shirt throwing moment!"

The child only stood there his face solemn.

"You lost or something? Mom or Dad around?" Dean continued.

The kid was cute, and Dean had soft spot for them; being a Mom to Sammy had somehow activated maternal instincts that a bad-ass hunter like himself shouldn't have had, but nevertheless existed.

X

By this time Sam had come to stand at his brother's side, his empathy telling him that this child was more than he seemed.

"Hey, you gonna tell us your name?" he smiled as he crouched down, trying to minimize the height difference between them.

"My name is Chamael, I greet you brothers Winchester."

Sam almost fell back on his ass.

This was no kid his fertile brain was busy telling him, and obviously Dean had come to the same conclusion, as he heard his brother exclaim. " Chamael, what sort of name is that! Please don't tell me that a cute kid like you is really a dick angel!"

"I am a messenger of God, yes; an angel!" the child replied.

The brothers exchanged weary glances, as Sam stood up. Angels were the size of the Chrysler building he had been told, so any height difference was to his own detriment.

X

Heaven had gotten craftier!

The same thought was going through the brothers' minds; now they were using kids and while taking out douche-bags like Zachariah was a pleasure, harming what looked like an innocent five-year old would be nearly impossible.

Sam had had to kill a kid once, Sheriff Mill's son. Okay, he had been a zombie and already dead, but to put a bullet in a kid when he looked up at you, even a zombie, wasn't the stuff of fluffy dreams!

X

"God's messenger, eh! I thought He was on permanent leave from Heaven, " Dean commented sarcastically.

"My Father is not in Heaven, this is true but he watches everything that happens to his beloved creatures. He has not interfered as the fate of humans is in their own hands and must be decided by them alone. That is why Father gave them free will," the child explained calmly.

"Yeah," Sam laughed ironically, glancing heavenward. "That's why Dean and I have been at the mercy of a series of douche-bags since we were kids."

"God is sorry that you have had to suffer so, but one day you will receive your reward and your happiness will be overwhelming," the child assured.

"Right!" Dean chipped in, scathingly. "What do you want? I don't suppose that you came visiting just to say hi?

"My father has great faith in you and Sam. He knows you will always do the right thing, make the right decisions. He is sad that you both have had to suffer the pain of Hell but He knew that you had the strength and integrity to overcome even that, and you did. My father is very pleased with you both. He looks with great favour upon you, much more than on his angel children."

"Well, you can go back and thank him for his compliments and tell him that Sammy and me would rather have been two ordinary guys than those _**chosen**_ to save the world, " Dean replied pissed.

He couldn't care less about the flattery that this kid was spouting. Their lives had been a mess and he didn't feel in the least thankful to God.

X

"My Father has asked much of you and I must tell you that He expects even more. Evil still abounds and you are the only ones He has truly Faith in to expunge it."

"Maybe you didn't hear what Dean said?" Sam intervened. "We've had enough of being manipulated. From now on we're going back to saving humans and killing the sons of bitches that want to snack on them. Your Father will have to resolve His problems on His own. We've done our bit. He can't ask us to do more."

X

The child's eyes flashed blue as he answered. "God's will be done, but he has assigned me to watch over you. I will come whenever you need me. All you have to do is hold my sigil and call."

"A sigil! We ain't got nothing like that!" Dean scoffed. " And we don't want or need your help."

"If Sam was in great danger, do you swear that you would not call me if you could? " the child asked, a more adult expression in its eyes.

Dean stayed silent. He couldn't deny it. His brother was the only thing he would be ready to break any rules for. He still regretted having let him jump into the hole with Lucifer. Even understanding that it had been Sam's choice, he knew that in his heart he would have preferred losing the world than losing his brother.

X

"I see your thoughts," the child said. "I respect them and I know My Father does too. After all, your love for each other comes from the Divine and is cherished by Him. However, I must return to My Father now."

"Hey wait, " Dean exclaimed. "What's the sigil? Just in case. It's always better to have a back up plan!" Dean heard himself saying.

"Dean!" Sam scolded. " You're not going to fall for this are you?"

"Sorry Sammy. Keeping you safe is my number one concern so..."

"But angels lie, you know that," Sam insisted earnestly.

"Well, I'm all for giving everyone a chance, even an angel! If the kid comes through fine, if not we gank him." Dean replied dryly.

"Samuel," the child smiled. "Give you brother back the sigil. He has your best interests at heart. Look into your own soul. Would you not move Heaven and Hell to save him? Then big brothers always know best, do they not?" he smiled angelically as he disappeared.

X

"Well, we could have done without that little visit," Dean huffed. "But now that it's done, we'll see if he turns out useful. He says you have what I need to call him, so hand it over."

Sam had known as soon as the angel mentioned it exactly what the sigil was, and he bent down to his duffel and pulled it out.

"Well, I'll be damned," Dean answered. "Castiel had it right all along! I always knew you were a deep secretive little bitch, Sammy but this time I'm good with it," he teased as he reverently took the object Sam held in his hand; but angels were the last thing on his mind as he put it round his neck and smiled lovingly at his little brother.

X

XXXXXX The enD XXXXXX


End file.
